YarnYAY! by Vickie Howell: Inaugural Box Review!

When I saw that Vickie Howell was going to be offering a monthly yarn subscription box, YarnYAY!, I was all in! She’s one of my favorite yarny people in the universe, so I knew whatever she put together would be good. I signed up as soon as I heard about it, even though it meant that I was going to have to be a little patient and wait for the first box.

When I came home from work today, there was a gorgeous aqua box waiting for me!

I was going to try to make myself wait and do an unboxing video, but got too impatient. *wompwomp* I promise to do one next month! Maybe I’ll even get brave and go live on Facebook. Is that something you’d like to see?

If you’re curious about YarnYAY!, here’s a review of the first box ever! I purchased this box and wasn’t compensated for this post in any way, I just thought it would be nice to do a review for anyone who was thinking about signing up. 😊

First, the packaging is supercute! I’m totally going to repurpose the box because it’s the perfect size for all kinds of things beyond delivering yarn to my doorstep.

Everything inside is wrapped up like a gift – tissue paper and little zigzaggy paper packing material (thankfully under the wrapping paper so it didn’t go everywhere!).

So first, we received a credit card sized knitting needle sizer from Purl & Loop. It’s the perfect size to tuck into a notions bag and supercute! I’m always misplacing my needle sizers so this is something I can’t have too many of.

We also received a project-sized YarnYAY! canvas tote. LOVE IT! I tend to keep my projects in plastic grocery bags – so not cute. It’s nice to get a small canvas tote that I can throw into my bookbag before I head out the door.

But what’s a yarn subscription without yarn, right?

YarnYAY! did not disappoint in the yarn department. Included in this shipment were three Juicy DK mini skeins from The Farmers Daughter Fibers, 54 yards each. Mine were in the colorways of Leaning Tree, Eagle Eye, and Heartbreak Hotel. I’m not sure which ones are which because they were tied together with a leather thong, and all three names were on one label. I’m sure if I popped over to their website and poked around I could figure it out, so it’s no big deal.

ETA: Update! Vickie posted a photo of the colorways with their corresponding names in the group. From right to left, Leaning Tree, Heartbreak Hotel, and Eagle Eye. This is one of the benefits of subscribing to YarnYAY! If you have questions, you have support! Not your average subscription box.

I love the colors! They remind me of the beach – pale aqua and green with accents of brown, beige, and grey. The yarn is 100% merino wool so it’s nice and soft and smooshy.

The knitting pattern included in the YarnYAY! box is for YarnYAY! Mitts — fingerless gloves that use the included yarns in a gradient so the colors fade into one another. Faded gradient projects are super popular right now, so I’m glad to have a bite-sized project assembled for me to try the technique. Also, I love fingerless gloves. They’re the only kind I wear unless I’m doing something ridiculous like cleaning snow off my car.

A lot of fingerless glove patterns are one size fits all, but this pattern has two sizes – S/M and L/XL. I appreciate this extra detail so much! Reading through the pattern, it looks like an intermediate level pattern. I would have called it an advanced beginner pattern but when I got to the instructions for the right mitt I spied the words, “shaping reversed.” That’s something a beginning knitter will likely have questions about, and a 99.99% guarantee I’ll fall victim to Second Mitt Syndrome.

“Shaping reversed” in patterns is a personal pet peeve – I know it’s very common and many knitters just whip right through reversing the shaping without a second thought. I get why patterns are written this way – it saves time, space, and ink.

But I write patterns. When I’m following someone else’s pattern, it’s because I want to give my writing brain a rest and just enjoy the process. Like I said, this is very much a *me* thing, not a *the pattern is horrible* thing.

A YarnYAY! subscription also gives you access to an active Facebook group full of enthusiastic knitters. I know someone will write out the instructions for reversing the shaping because it’s going to be the first question asked by the less experienced knitters (or by the ones who are lazy like me!)

Note to crocheters: sorry, this box only came with a knitting pattern. I’m not sure if crochet patterns are in the works for future boxes, but am going to try to find out.

The box contained a total of 162 yards of DK yarn, 54 yards in each skein. On the Farmer’s Daughter site, a full skein of 231 yards costs $28, which is average for hand dyed yarns. If you’re in it just for the yarn and don’t care about the extras, the cost might seem high for 162 yards of yarn. I almost always crochet with acrylics that cost a couple of bucks a skein, so to me it’s worth the splurge to work with a really nice yarn.

The yarn included comes in hanks, so you’ll need to wind the yarn into balls. I find that process relaxing so it’s not a drawback to me. If you don’t know how to do this without a yarn winder, Vickie just posted a video on how to do this in the group.

There are lots of intangible benefits associated with YarnYAY!, so I still 100% recommend it.

You’re supporting indie yarn dyers and getting some really nice yarn to play with. Who knows? Maybe this will be your new favorite!

You’re supporting pattern writers (specifically Vickie Howell in this box). With so many free patterns out there on the internet, we sometimes take for granted the value of in a well written, well edited pattern.

You get to join a community of fellow knitters to discuss the yarns, patterns, etc. So if you’re a beginning knitter, you can easily find help. If you’re a more advanced knitter, you have an opportunity to help bring up the next generation of knitting experts. 😉

A monthly yarny surprise delivered right to your doorstep? Priceless!

ETA: I didn’t know this when I wrote the post, but Vickie is going to be posting instructional videos in the group. So if there is something you don’t know how to do, you’ll have help!

The combined value of what’s inside and outside of the box make this monthly subscription totally worth it. I can’t wait to see what surprises are in store for us next month!

ETA: I have to say I’m super impressed with how responsive Vickie and her team are with addressing questions and concerns as they come up! Every question I raised here (or saw raised in the group) was addressed in a matter of hours. That’s a level of service I’ve never seen in any subscription box I’ve received. Color me super impressed!

Share the love on Pinterest so all your knitting and yarny friends can find out about this awesome box!

I’m going to try to make some time next week to knit up the mitts, and I’ll update this post to let you know how it goes!

So many pins, so little time!

Footer

Instagram

I'm on a mission to empower women to have crafty misadventures by encouraging them to make time for creativity; try new products and techniques; and have fun while making lots of mistakes. My core belief is that any creative project can be improved by adding a cute face to it. Read More →

This site uses cookies to personalize content and ads, to provide social media features, and for site analytics. By using this website you consent to the terms and conditions contained in the Disclosures/Privacy Policy.Accept CookiesRead more